Like Scott and Mindful, identifying my underlying mental health issues was a critical component to my recovery once I got the alcohol out of the way. For me, that meant handling what is lifelong anxiety- once sober we could look at the cracks throughout my life, as I call them.
I also had particularly strong indicators of bipolar/ BPD ( depending on the diagnosing dr, but they have similarities). History of those in my family and with my mom her bipolar was incredibly more difficult when drinking, as Mindful said. Sober and in recovery me has very minor demonstration of those mental illnesses.
My dr and multi pronged support and action in recovery lead to the most balance possible for me.